Cholesterol is now scared from everywhere - television, newspapers and magazines, advertising, posters in polyclinics are full of stories about the dangers of this nutrient. Indeed, if its amount exceeds physiological needs, it begins to be deposited in vessels and tissues, causing atherosclerosis.

What is cholesterol? What is the norm of its consumption? How can this substance lead to death? Is it possible to withdraw its surplus from the body? And the main question - how at home to prevent the occurrence of atherosclerotic plaques and protect yourself and your loved ones from early death?

Cholesterol - harm or benefit?

Cholesterol is a natural fat that is found in all living organisms. In the human body, it is produced by the liver, adrenal glands, sexual glands, kidneys, intestines and comes from the outside with food. Why does he need a man?

It is part of the cell membranes, regulates permeability, ensures their temperature stability, protects erythrocytes from the action of hemolytic poisons.

This substance is the precursor of some human hormones, for example, aldosterone, sex (progesterone, testosterone, estrogens), cortisol.

Cholesterol is the basis for the formation of vitamin D.

It is a part of not only "harmful" fatty acids, but also "useful" - high-density lipoproteins.

The bile acids in the bile are also formed from cholesterol.

For greater clarity, you can divide the cholesterol into harmful and useful. Since this substance is insoluble in water, it binds in the blood to proteins and in this form is transported to the cells. To harmful cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and very low density (VLDL) can be included. These compounds carry cholesterol to the peripheral tissues. They contribute to the formation of atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is in the first place for reasons that cause death. Cardiovascular diseases are the number one problem in medicine and it is common in economically developed countries. Atherosclerotic plaques are formed as a result of the deposition of harmful lipoproteins in the vessel wall.

Cholesterol can be delayed not only in old age, as many believe. Excessive amount of it affects the vessels even in the unborn fetus. And if the mother abused fatty foods, the newborn will already have the initial stages of atherosclerosis.

Useful cholesterol is a high-density lipoprotein (HDL). They transport cholesterol to the liver, where useful substances are synthesized from it. In addition, high-density lipoproteins have a good property of reducing atherosclerotic plaques.

Harm and benefit of cholesterol depend on its content in the blood. A concentration in the plasma - from the supply from the outside with food.

blood test for cholesterol

Normal values ​​of lipoproteins in humans:

total cholesterol should not be more than 5.2 mmol / l;

harmful cholesterol in the composition of LDL and VLDL should be less than 3.5 mmol / l;

useful HDL cholesterol should be greater than 1.1.

High total cholesterol, LDL and VLDL contribute to the formation of atherosclerosis and increase the likelihood of death from cardiovascular diseases.

The reasons for raising "bad" cholesterol

There are factors that increase the concentration of "bad" cholesterol:

overeating and eating foods with a lot of trans fats, carbohydrates;

obesity;

low physical activity;

smoking;

alcoholism;

liver disease, leading to stagnation of bile or impaired synthesis of fats;

stress;

diabetes;

kidney disease.

Predisposing factors continue to act together with atherosclerosis, increasing the risk of cardiovascular complications.

How to determine the level of cholesterol at home

In order to determine the level of lipoproteins in the blood, you need to donate blood to a lipidogram. If there are no recorded lesions of the vessels with atherosclerosis, and a person leads a healthy lifestyle, the measurement should be done every 3-4 years starting from the age of 25. People with predisposing factors need to examine these indicators once a year. And if the person is elderly, then you need to undergo a survey at least once every six months, and preferably every 3 months.

But research takes a lot of time, because you first need to go to the clinic, take a referral to the analysis, stand the line, come back for the result. Not everyone has the opportunity to spend that much time. You can take a lipidogram in a private laboratory, the time will be spent a little less, but the research is paid and not cheap. As a result, most people ignore recommendations and do not control their lipid spectrum.

Thanks to modern technology, it is possible to measure blood lipids without leaving home. How to check cholesterol at home? - for this purpose there are special devices. As a rule, the device for measuring cholesterol at home is multifunctional. For example, there are glucometers that measure glucose and lipids. There are also devices, besides cholesterol, which determine the concentration of triglycerides, hemoglobin, lactate, etc. It is quite easy to work with such a device. It is equipped with test strips, a scarifier, a display and built-in memory. The test for cholesterol at home is done within three minutes and allows you to take care of the health of all family members.

Symptoms of high blood cholesterol

Hypercholesterolemia leads to its deposition in the wall of blood vessels, as a result of which its lumen narrows. The constriction may be of different degrees and reach the complete closure of the lumen. But there is another danger. More often this plaque is ruptured, platelets, fibrin and other elements are layered on the site of the rupture, a thrombus is formed, which closes the already narrowed vessel. In addition, he can come off and move with a current of blood to thrombolyte any vital vessels.

The result of excess cholesterol are the following diseases:

stroke

angina pectoris; myocardial infarction;

stroke;

kidney ischemia, chronic renal failure;

arterial hypertension;

intermittent claudication;

intestinal infarction;

atherosclerosis of various parts of the aorta;

aortic aneurysm.

How can one assume without an examination that there is an excess of lipids in the blood? Symptoms of high cholesterol are as follows.

Repeat episodes of pain behind the breastbone, giving in the arm or under the scapula, or in the stomach, the "fading" of the heart, the transferred myocardial infarction may indicate the defeat of the coronary arteries.

Impotence and decreased erection in men may be a consequence of arteriosclerosis.

When the veins and arteries of the legs are blocked, there is intermittent claudication, pain in the limbs, numbness, and inflammation of the veins.

External manifestations of hypercholesterolemia may be the presence of yellowish spots on the upper and lower eyelids, cholesterol nodules above the tendons.

External signs are manifested even when the cholesterol level is many times higher than the target values.

What you can and can not eat with high cholesterol

Since nutrition is of paramount importance in the normalization of lipid levels, it is necessary to determine the products that can be consumed by people with atherosclerosis and from which it is better to abstain. How to clean blood vessels from cholesterol at home? - the best way is to follow a diet. It is not necessary to be a nutritionist to know that fatty roasts, fried pork, etc. - can not be consumed.

There are also useful products that remove cholesterol from the body. Fiber and vegetable food is able to bind cholesterol even in the intestines and prevent its absorption into the blood. What brings cholesterol out of the body?

Dietary fiber should be consumed in an amount of 30 grams per day. They are found in apples, pears, peaches, raspberries, strawberries, cabbage, beans, peas, lentils.

Pectins should be supplied in amounts of 15 grams per day. They can be found in apples, plums, apricots, beets, carrots, black currants.

Rape, soybean and coniferous oils contain stanols, which can also remove cholesterol from the body.

How to determine how much you need to eat fruit a day to effectively exclude cholesterol? - about 400 grams of different fruits will be enough. You can specify the number of portions. For example, one serving is 1 apple or 1 pear, or 2 plums, etc. In a day you need to eat 5 such servings.

Folk remedies for high cholesterol

How to clean blood vessels from cholesterol with folk remedies? There are drug charges that effectively eliminate hyperlipidemia:

Yarrow mixed with horsetail, hawthorn, mistletoe and periwinkle, the mixture is infused in 200 ml of boiling water for 30 minutes and is consumed during the day for 1 drink for about 2-3 months;

20 g yarrow and St. John's wort are mixed with 4 g arnica, prepare the infusion, pouring a glass of boiling water, and drink during the day.

Infusion of blue cyanosis quickly removes cholesterol from the blood. Decoction of this herb is drunk 1 tablespoon after eating 4 times a day for 2-3 weeks.

How to remove cholesterol from the body at home

How to clean blood vessels from cholesterol at home? Any therapy should begin with non-drug methods such as:

diet compliance;

decreased body weight;

increased physical activity;

getting rid of bad habits.

Together with these methods you can be treated with the help of folk remedies.

If the cholesterol is too high, and it needs to be lowered as soon as possible, for example, if there is a threat of a myocardial infarction or a stroke, then the specialist's help is needed. The doctor may prescribe pills that lower the level of lipids in the blood. Cholesterol poisoning is treated with statins, fibrates and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Now in the pharmaceutical market a wide variety of these drugs. Which of them is suitable for the patient should be decided only by the doctor. Self-medication, can not only be ineffective, but also cause harm to the body, since these drugs are far from safe and have side effects.

General conclusion

High cholesterol is the main factor in the development of atherosclerosis - the cause of most cardiovascular diseases.

If hypercholesterolemia is detected, you need to think about its cause and start a reduction with non-drug methods. Cholesterol diet, folk remedies, active way of life, fighting with smoking and alcoholism - will lower the level of cholesterol in the blood, stop the progression of atherosclerosis, and, most importantly, reduce its manifestations.

If symptoms of atherosclerosis (heart pain, transient ischemic attacks, pain in the legs, etc.) appear against the background of high blood fats, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible, who will probably decide to prescribe medications that lower blood cholesterol.

But to prevent disease is easier than to treat. Therefore, it is important to establish hypercholesterolemia in time. Since atherosclerosis is getting younger every year, a regular check of lipids in the blood is recommended to begin already with 25 years. You can do this in hospitals or at home with the help of special devices. Compliance with the diet will not hurt even people with normal cholesterol. Do not be afraid of its shortage. With the production of a sufficient amount of own cholesterol, our liver is doing just fine.